Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou

23 reviews

briannad4's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racism, Violence, and Gaslighting

studydniowka's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Mam mieszane uczucia. Z jednej strony dobrze mi się tego słuchało, z drugiej wydawało mi się, że to wszystko jest trochę przesadzone i naiwne.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Violence

frankieclc's review against another edition

4.0

There were descriptions in this book where it made me shiver because it felt too real, "I know that character, I've met them" kinda vibes. 

Went a lil off the rail in places and that's the only reason it wasn't a 5, the conversations made were incredible 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Fatphobia

grimlo4's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, and Gaslighting

Minor: Violence and Blood

lily1304's review against another edition

funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I loved this - somehow this manages to be SO funny, even with a mostly humorless main character and a deep dive into American racism. I appreciate that the story raises a lot of questions about race without having  neat, cut and dry answers.

I also loved Ingrid as a main character - so adrift, and trying on different personalities and ideologies over the course of the story. I really grew to like her. I felt like she was oddly trapped in the 2000s, something about her made me stop and wonder whether the setting was the 2000s. I think that was intentional, and it added something to the story - I don't know how to phrase exactly what.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Hate crime, Mental illness, Violence, Police brutality, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Deportation

The main character abuses allergy meds

unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Violence

amaezone's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A clear five-star novel :
• one for the look inside "a regular person's" mind starting to reflect on their own position and attitudes regarding race,
• one for the description of academia as it works today,
• one for the great friendship and

avoidind the "they leave the bad guy and shortly after gets with the good guy" scenario

,
• one for the nuanced and clear explanation and depiction of the personalities of all the characters (which to a certain extent, avoids the bad person/good person characterization, although the sides are clearly defined,
• one for

the ending out of academia as perfectly legitimate

. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Cultural appropriation, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Sexism, Sexual violence, Vomit, and Trafficking

thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

disorientation is an enjoyable novel, hilarious yet blistering in its satire that spares absolutely no one, reflecting and exploring a white supremacist society but also challenging it and our own biases and conceptions.

the book 
sheds light on many under- or not-as-deftly explored issues like social justice discourses while also being aware of intersectionality. my fav thing abt it is prolly how chou's satire is also chillingly realistic, humorous is its uncomfortable truths of how minorities grapple w/ them and how far the reach of yts are both in personal relationships and larger institutions.

many of the plot points are predictable, however, and what bothers me most is the scale of the story. tho xiao wen chou is supposedly an ubiquitous cultural force as america's asian american literary wet dream, the consequences/impact from revelations related to him are befuddlingly small, confined to merely a campus and city level where things play out, tho in fact it shouldve been explosive on a national level.

overall, def recommend for truth dropping and enjoyable satire, if one could withhold disbelief abt the story's scale.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Violence

ilyemilyhenry's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Colonisation

Minor: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Outing, Sexual harassment, and War

smute's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Sexual assault, Violence, and Vomit